“Caught in a Lie”

The London-based singer-songwriter Fatima crafts chameleonic R&B that feels both airy and earthy. Her 2014 debut album, Yellow Memories, was grounded by her silky vocal harmonies, an expressive tool that was molded like clay against shape-shifting electronic-soul backdrops from Floating Points, Theo Parrish, and others. “Caught in a Lie,” off Fatima’s forthcoming sophomore LP, And Yet It’s All Love, continues to carve out her own eclectic, soulful lane. With Chilean producer Natureboy Flako providing a winding, bassline-heavy groove, here Fatima offers up a self-assured reproach to a former lover.

Where Yellow Memories often hit a laid-back sweet spot, “Caught in a Lie” instead finds Fatima taking on a newly confident strut. “I chose the road that leads to dreams/That only can kick in when you dare to stick to your guns into unknown,” she croons at one point, voice ascending against rolling percussion, handclaps, and a chorus of her own backing vocals. She sounds revitalized by the revelation of a lie, and the slinky bassline snaking through the song’s gives her plenty of support to air her grievances. But it’s the pure adaptability of Fatima’s voice, moving from dulcet to grainy and back again, that gives “Caught in a Lie” a crucial dose of tension that underlines her far-reaching versatility.